Masterplan is the second feature from the Levy brothers, whose debut, Novias Madrinas 15 Años, was a hit in Argentina. Here, groom-to-be Mariano (a brilliantly deadpan Alan Sabbaugh) is persuaded by his future brother-in-law (co-director Pablo Levy) to take part in a credit-card-fraud scheme. When the crime is bungled, Mariano is forced to abandon his Siam Di Tella (one of the few cars made in Argentina in the 1960s), but is heartsick about it. As the circle of lies widens, he grows increasingly anxious about being caught. Meanwhile, Andrés, a down-on-his-luck vagrant, takes up residence in the car. (Andrés is played by Andrés Calabria, whom fans will recognize from the directors’ previous work.)

With his wedding fast approaching, Mariano begins to wonder whether the life of a married man is really the life he wants, and finds himself visiting his car and its new inhabitant. Soon, the two men become friends, and this odd couple shows us what the film is really about: a compassion for humanity and what it means to be a bien Porteño.

You might also enjoy...

Argentina
,
2011
,
93 min.
It all starts with a cow falling from the sky. Argentine screen icon Ricardo Darín plays a curmudgeon whose reluctant bond with a stranded Chinese immigrant (Ignacio Huang) helps him warm up to the human race.... more

USA
,
2012
,
99 min.
Writer/director/star Ed Burns revisits the Irish-American roots of The Brothers McMullen, his 1995 Sundance breakout hit, for this holiday dramedy about a family reluctantly allowing a visit by the clan’s patriarch after a 20-year absence.... more

Argentina
,
2012
,
82 min.
When childhood friends and rivals Joaquin and David take a beach vacation together, they run into Elena, Joaquin’s ex-girlfriend, who’s married to Lautaro, a successful novelist. Suddenly their weekend escape isn’t such a getaway anymore in this comedy.... more

USA
,
2012
,
94 min.
Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Alan Arkin star in this action comedy as retired gangsters reunited for one epic night. The three try to compensate for missed decades of crime, drugs, and sex, but one has been put in an impossible quandary.... more